The Girl Who Was Different In Every Way
by TrueGirl3
Summary: Follows the movie more than the book. Months after Lisbeth sees Mikael and Erika walk off into the night at the end of the movie. She is at the bar, and sees someone new. Let me know if I should continue.
1. Chapter 1

**I saw this movie, thinking I would hate it, but I **_**loved**_** it! I thought I would post and see if I got any interest from it. Totally out of my comfort zone. I love continual story lines, but I won't keep them up unless I get substantial interest from the reviewers. So let me know, even if you hate it! Thanks everybody!**

_She is different_, Lisbeth thought. And coming from the girl that was said to be different, in every way, _that_ meant something.

She was at the club she frequented when she just needed to be out in public, and maybe score a fuck. It was now months later after Mikael Blomkvist had been seen with his arms wrapped around Ericka Berger. She had fucking been miserable after that. And the rage that consumed her took over, like it usually did at rejection of any kind.

Now, months later, her hurt had subsided substantially. She had vowed to remain detached, like before. Her social pariah status position was at an all-time high. It was good she didn't need to worry about impressing her pig of a guardian.

The girl was in this punk grunge club. It was dark and dirty and the people in it all looked gaunt and sickly, desperate to connect to something but, for whatever trauma that haunted them, were unable to. Granted, some of them were just fucking idiots, crying out for attention and the thrill of the people that were drawn to this bar.

She was wearing simple pair of jeans and a white long sleeve cotton shirt. Simple flats. Her hair was light wavy brown that flowed past her shoulders. She was laughing at something the waitress was saying. She eventually shrugged and looked up at the DJ and he nodded and left her table. She turned back to the group of people she was with, who they were dressed more like Lisbeth than this girl.

The girl with the dragon tattoo couldn't help but keep glancing at her across the bar. She smoked a cigarette and drank her drink, observing the girl. She was gorgeous, but not exactly in the conventional way. She was healthy looking and she seemed to shine like a beacon in this dark shithole. Her skin glowed, but not because she tanned. She wasn't from here.

She wasn't wearing any makeup, maybe not even gloss, though her lips were full and moist.

This girl, whoever she was, was Lisbeth's opposite. She was light, Lisbeth was dark. She looked sane, while Lisbeth was labeled as mentally incompetent. She was healthy, while Lisbeth was often asked if she needed a sandwich. This girl actually smiled and laughed occasionally, her hazel green eyes shining.

She suddenly glanced around her, sensing something, then those eyes met Lisbeth's dark ones. She glanced back to the front, but Lisbeth noticed she occasionally looked her way to see if Lisbeth's eyes were still trained on her. They were.

Lisbeth sat there, smoking and drinking and watching her. She noticed that her standby Miriam Wu was watching her watch the girl from across the bar, pretending not to care, but Lisbeth could see that it bothered her somewhat.

The girl then stood and stretched. Yes, stretched, right in the middle of the bar. She then turned to the person sitting next to her and put her arm on her shoulder, saying something in her ear.

Then she left, cutting across the crowd, without even a look over her shoulder.

She got stopped by several of the fucker men in the bar, but she managed to shrug them off, continually moving until she was out the door into Stockholm's night.

Lisbeth drained her drink and put out her cigarette, and followed suit. Lisbeth could admit she was interested, and not just as a fuck. The girl was fascinating. She was different.

Lisbeth got out of the club even quicker than she managed to and stole away into the night. There she went, down the street. Lisbeth stick close to the buildings as she followed her, trying to blend into the night.

After a few blocks, Lisbeth stopped abruptly. Somehow the girl had vanished as large group of college kids passed her. Lisbeth walked on to where she had last seen her and looked around, disappointment and anger flooding her system.

Then she felt a tap on her arm and she spun, ready to attack. But it was her. "Looking for me?" she asked, with a knowing smile.

**Any interest?**


	2. Chapter 2

**Okay this is short, but I just decided to continue because I had some interest. So with my other stories I tell my readers up front that I am a needy bitch when it comes to reviews and feedback in general. So hit that review button as much as you can and I promise it will make this story all the better!**

The Girl Who Was Different in Every Way

Chapter 2

Lisbeth looked on at her warily.

"I don't know why you are looking at me like that? I am not the one following you," she said, with a slight smile tugging at one corner of her mouth.

Lisbeth smiled softly and said, "You're American?"

"Yes."

Lisbeth nodded. She was even more beautiful up close.

"Didn't seem like your type of club," Lisbeth said as she motioned behind her toward the club they had just left.

"I don't have types. Labels are for soup cans," she said.

Lisbeth smiled and nodded. "What's your name?" she asked, genuinely curious.

"Grace. Yours?" she asked, her head cocked to her side.

"Lisbeth."

"Lisbeth," the girl tried out. "Were you gonna follow me all the way home, Lisbeth?"

"I don't know, maybe."

"Creep."

Lisbeth smiled.

"Still wanna follow me home?" she asked as she motioned for the cigarette Lisbeth held in her hand and took a puff when Lisbeth handed it over to her.

Lisbeth accepted the cigarette back and nodded as she puffed it. Grace smiled and turned slowly waiting for Lisbeth to follow her.

**Short, but there is some intrigue, right?**


	3. Chapter 3

The Girl Who Was Different in Every Way

Chapter 3

Grace unlocked the door to her modest apartment in Södermalm, which was formerly a blue collar turned trendy neighborhood about ten minutes from the downtown area. Grace swung open her door and stepped in as she pulled her key out and held the door open for Lisbeth.

Lisbeth looked around her apartment. It was exactly like she was. The rooms were darkened, but even in the dark, they were lit by a soft glow of small lamps. Lisbeth inhaled slightly as Grace threw her keys on the table in the combined kitchen and dining area. It was small, but cozy. It was clean, but not in an OCD kind of way. It smelled like clean laundry and like Grace had the windows open frequently.

Lisbeth stood awkwardly in the foyer, afraid to dirty the rich and warm colors of her apartment.

Lisbeth motioned for her to go in the living room as she clicked on the main light switch in the living room. Lisbeth had never really been to an apartment like this to hang out socially. Hell, she had never hung out socially with anyone like Grace. If she did opt to hang out with anyone, her 'type' was typically someone similar to herself.

Lisbeth walked into the little kitchen and asked if she wanted something. Lisbeth shrugged and Grace smiled and grabbed a bottle of whisky off the fridge and two small glasses that didn't match.

She walked back over to Lisbeth, slipping off her shoes by the door on the way, and sat down. She poured them each some of the whisky and handed Lisbeth her glass then clinked hers against it before taking a drink.

Lisbeth watched as her jaw and throat muscles moved. Everything about this girl fit her name. The way she walked, talked, moved, and even drank gracefully. She was the embodiment of the word graceful.

She rumbled as the whisky made her way down her throat and settled into her belly. Lisbeth copied her actions, but her eyes remained on Grace as she swallowed.

Grace suddenly met Lisbeth's dark eyes and she smiled at Lisbeth when she realized she had caught Lisbeth staring. "What?" Grace asked.

Lisbeth only looked at her, but then replied, "Are you interested in me sexually?" she asked in an abrupt tone.

Grace's eyes widened in surprise and she laughed at Lisbeth's obvious awkwardness. Lisbeth blushed and smiled as she looked down. "I apologize. I am not as socially dialed in as others. It makes me sound crass and sometimes rude."

Grace nodded, and Lisbeth wondered if she was just absorbing the information or if she was nodding that she was interested in her sexually.

"I like you," she finally responded as she poured herself another glass of whisky.

Well, that's a good start, Lisbeth thought to herself.

Lisbeth sipped on her whisky, willing it to soothe her nerves and insecurities. She closed her eyes briefly and went down her throat, enjoying the taste.

She suddenly felt Grace softly touch her hair, right by her ear, smoothing it in place behind her ear. "Are you interested in me sexually Lisbeth?" she asked softly.

Lisbeth reached up and held her hand in place as she turned her mouth into her palm and kissed it softly as she nodded.

Grace smiled as she nodded and leaned forward and set her glass down on the coffee table. She still held onto Lisbeth's hand as she moved closer.

Grace suddenly let go of Lisbeth's hand and then took both of her hands and gently touched Lisbeth's cheeks and stroked them so faintly, it was like she was stroking extremely sensitive glass.

Lisbeth and Grace held eye contact as she gently stroked her cheeks. When her fingers trailed down the sides of Lisbeth's neck, Lisbeth lost patience and pulled her toward her. She cupped her cheeks, not as tenderly, and kissed her. Her lips were so incredibly soft.

She began to pull away from Grace, but suddenly Grace wrapped her arms around Lisbeth and deepened the kiss by teasing her tongue against Lisbeth's. Lisbeth couldn't help the moan that escaped into Grace's mouth as they kissed. Lisbeth began leaning back, pulling Lisbeth with her.

Lisbeth lay on top of Grace's softy body, running her hands through Grace's hair. She rested her hands on the back of her head, holding her head in place as she continued to kiss her deeply.

Grace ran her hands up Lisbeth's back, her hands eventually burying themselves in her hair, tugging slightly causing Lisbeth to break apart from her lips in a moan. She panted on top of her as Grace kissed along her jaw and down her neck. She dragged Grace's lips back up to her own and crashed them against hers, devouring her lips in another kiss.

Lisbeth felt her center boiling over. Grace's hands were everywhere. Her hands gently ran over her breasts lightly, but one rested in the place right over her erratically beating heart. She pulled back from the kiss and closed her eyes as she felt Lisbeth's heartbeat right under her hand.

Lisbeth placed hers over where Grace's was and felt that their hearts were actually in sync. She smiled. Lisbeth actually smiled up at Grace before they gently kissed once more.


	4. Chapter 4

The Girl Who Was Different in Every Way

Chapter 4

Lisbeth jerked awake in Grace's bed. Alone. She was alone. She sat up and glanced around the room. She spotted her shirt on the floor and reached down for it, all the while listening for movement in the quiet apartment.

She heard the sound of the trees outside in the living room, indicating to Lisbeth that the window out in the living room was open. She pulled her shirt on over her head and crept across the chilly floor of Grace's bedroom. Had she left? Did she open the window and leave it open?

Lisbeth peeked out into the living room. It was dark and from Lisbeth could see empty. Grace was definitely gone.

Lisbeth crossed back towards the bed and grabbed her pants, shoes and her jacket. She crept out of the room, even though Grace wasn't in it.

As she walked through Grace's living room, she spotted her bag and almost had it when something moved out of the corner of her eyes and she snapped her head towards it.

It was Grace, watching her. She was only in her t-shirt, sitting in the windowsill with a mug of some kind of hot brew. She smiled knowingly at Lisbeth who immediately felt guilty, though she didn't know why. This was obviously a terrible one night stand gone wrong.

"It's okay, you can go if you want. No guilt, no strings," she reassured Lisbeth as she sipped out of her mug, turning back to the window.

"Really?" Lisbeth asked, setting her bag back down and walked towards her.

She turned again and gave a small, tired smile. "Sure, I am. I would have been asleep, giving you ample time to go, but then I had to pee and then I heard the birds and so I decided to have some tea."

Lisbeth only looked at her and she looked down into her cup and then turned back to look out the window.

Lisbeth glanced at the door and then back to Grace. _What should I do?_ she thought to herself.

She then decided on what was easiest and slipped her jacket on. She walked towards Grace, who turned to her with a smile on her lips.

"Nice to meet you Lisbeth," she whispered.

Lisbeth smiled back at her and kissed her shoulder. "You too."

She then walked to the door, grabbing her bag, and with one final look to Grace whose gaze was fixed outside again with her chin resting on her knee, she left.

With every step she walked away she felt this weird feeling, like she should go back.

She didn't though. She walked to the club that they had met with last night and spotted her bike. She strapped her bag to the bike and put her helmet on her bed head hair.

She revved the engine and sped down the street towards her dingy apartment. The entire way there she thought of Grace in the soft light of her apartment as she writhed under her last night. Grace's eyes in the dark were this beautiful slate gray color as she looked down into Lisbeth's eyes as she kissed her womanhood, shivering at Lisbeth's touch.

While Lisbeth had many great sexual encounters, her experience with Grace had been absolutely beautiful. Meaningful even.

After they had made love, Lisbeth laid there simply watching her. Grace had her eyes closed, running her hands along her back softly. So softly it raised goose bumps on Lisbeth's skin. Grace had then opened her eyes halfway, and traced the lines of Lisbeth's tattoos.

"I wonder what the stories behind these are," she said allowed. She didn't ask Lisbeth to tell her as she finished her exploration on the snout of Lisbeth's dragon. She just laid there and wondered, content with the knowledge that she may never know.

Lisbeth parked her bike in front of her building and strode up to her apartment, listening to the voicemail on her cell phone as she walked up the three flights of stairs.

Two from the company that hired outsourced her free agent investigative services. Lisbeth made a mental note to call him back, looking to her computer to see if there was any new information she could add to the current report she had been working on.

The last message on her voicemail was from Nils Bjurman, the rapist pig of a lawyer who had control of her funds. But Lisbeth was in control now. And she would never let anyone else control her again. Not ever.

He sounded nervous, his voice shaky as he explained he had submitted her report, that reflected she had grown and was on the road to becoming stable. It said that she was embracing healthy relationships that nourished positive changes. His report would do and it would serve the ultimate purpose of having her incompetency status corrected.

Lisbeth sat at her computer, plugging in codes as she accessed emails, business files, phone records, bank statements. As she clicked away, her thoughts flitted to Grace. Lisbeth looked to her computer and her fingers immediately began to type….but all they could type was 'Grace'. She would need more than that.

She gave a small growl of frustration and looked around her apartment. She hadn't even thought to get Grace's last name. Or even her number.

Lisbeth ran her fingers through her hair and then made the calls she needed to. She called the company and told them she had her report ready and was available to go through her findings whenever they needed her to. They also said they had three more clients interested in her 'aggressive strategies'. They had no idea.

She clicked her laptop shut and strode through her apartment, peeling off her clothing as she went, leaving it wherever it fell in a trail behind her. She reached the bathroom and turned on the shower. It took her a moment to heat up, but she moaned as it pounded against her back.

As she finished bathing, she went into her messy room, walking to the dresser to grab an outfit.

As Lisbeth prepared to leave, she looked to her windows. She walked over to it, studying how to open it. Surprisingly, Lisbeth never had opened them during the many years she had lived here. She unlatched them and opened them wide. The fresh air flowed into her apartment, fighting its stuffy and depressing ambiance.

Both the smell of fresh air and the idea of a fresh wind sweeping through and clearing away darkness and depression reminded of her night with Grace. _Fuck. She has me completely fuck up,_ she thought to herself as she grabbed her keys and left her apartment.


	5. Chapter 5

**Sorry for the delay in update. I was updating my other stories and am just now getting caught up on this one. I want to thank you all for the reviews. I am greedy when it comes to them so the more you send the better inspired I get and the quicker my updates,**

**Let me know what you think and enjoy!**

The Girl Who Was Different in Every Way

Chapter 5

Lisbeth walked into the dingy bar and sat at a small table in the corner. She motioned over to the bartender to get her something. Anything. She looked around the bar as Shane, the bartender, brought her something. She swirled the drink in her glass, trying to discern what it might be, then took a drink.

Whiskey. She took another drink then reached into her jacket pocket and extracted a pack of cigarettes. She lit one and inhaled, closing her eyes as the rich smoke filled her lungs. She had a long day and the combination of the whiskey and the tobacco now coursing through her system was exactly the cure she needed.

She quickly drained the glass and lifted it, meeting Shane's eyes to indicate she wanted more. She slipped off her jacket and reached up to rub her neck muscles. It had been a long day of watching some crook businessman. She had also run into Mikael.

It had been awkward. She had been awkward, but that was not out of the ordinary. He had been awkward, which was out of the ordinary. The thing she had always liked about Mikael was that he typically felt no awkwardness in awkward situations.

She ran into him just before coming here. Hence the huge tumbler of whisky sitting in front of her. She was soaking wet from the spitting rain and she shook her short hair out a bit before taking another long drag on her cigarette.

The smoke soothed the pain she had felt from her encounter with him. Of course her facade had been indifference when she spoke to him, but the knife in her stomach twisted as keenly as it had that Christmas night she had gone to give him the jacket she had tailor made for him.

Lisbeth looked up from her empty tumbler and almost jumped out of her chair in shock. Sometime during her stew Grace had slid in the chair across from her.

"Jesus, make a fucking sound next time," Lisbeth growled out as her heartbeat attempted to return to its normal pace.

Grace chuckled and said, "You looked like you were in a deep thought and I didn't want to interrupt."

Lisbeth took another pull on her cigarette and closed her eyes. She opened them to find Grace just watching her.

"You had a rough day," Grace finally said, taking in Lisbeth's appearance.

Lisbeth only nodded as Shane brought her over her third glass of whisky.

"I saw you near my apartment. Being a creep again? Or was that a coincidence?" Grace asked.

"Coincidence," Lisbeth replied as Shane set her glass on the table and she took a drink.

It had not been a coincidence. Lisbeth had found herself walking through Grace's neighborhood more and more, even if it was out of her way. She hadn't realized it until one day she was literally across the street from Grace's apartment in Södermalm and wondered _Why the hell am all the way over here?_

"Bullshit," she replied with a smile on her face as she took Lisbeth's glass and drank out of it.

Lisbeth only shrugged and accepted her glass of whisky as Grace handed it back to her.

They sat in silence, looking around the club, occasionally looking at each other. Grace looked across the table, transfixing Lisbeth in her greenish/gray gaze. "Are you okay?" she asked frankly. Her tone was gentle, but strong enough that Lisbeth could tell she didn't want to be bullshitted.

Lisbeth shrugged and said, "Bad day. Everybody has bad days though."

"Bullshit," Grace repeated, but in a voice so sweet it brought tears to Lisbeth's eyes a bit.

"Well, I have had worse."

"I bet," she said.

Lisbeth did a combination swig of her drink and a pull on her cigarette, offering a puff to Grace who shook her head.

"I think you need it more than I do," Grace said, a small smile tugging at the corning of her mouth. Lisbeth appreciated that Grace didn't give her a lecture on not drinking and smoking away her issues.

Lisbeth nodded and took another pull, realizing she would need another one lit shortly if she was going to keep up this pace.

"Well, I am going to go back to my table to the group I am with. Be careful getting home," she said as she stood slowly. She reached her hand down and ran her fingers through Lisbeth's still wet hair.

Grace then turned and walked away as quickly as she had appeared.

**Please review!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hi Everybody! Thanks so much for reading and those of you who took the time and reviewed. I am definitely adding Stieg Larsson's series to my summer reading list as per many of your suggestions. **

**On with the story. I am interested if you think my writing of Lisbeth is believable. She is a hard person to write, especially her behavior and her dialogue. Let me know!**

The Girl Who was Different in Every Way

Chapter 6

Lisbeth walked into the Drop Coffee Bar in Södermalm neighborhood. She had gotten more and more comfortable in this neighborhood. She found that she liked it in fact and not just because Grace resided here.

Lisbeth walked to the counter and ordered a black coffee blend. She also pointed to chocolate biscotti that looked particularly good and sat by the window watching the people passing by as she sipped the warm drink and cookie.

Lisbeth pulled out her laptop, and set herself up. She began going through her files and checking to see what else she needed to work on for Dragan at Milton Security. She had one case she was actively investigating. It wasn't anything too exciting, which was fine by Lisbeth right now. Since she had the money she had essentially embezzled from Wennerström and stashed in oversea accounts, hidden.

She had been spending more time with Holger Palmgren, her legal guardian. Lisbeth read to him often and they played chess. Lisbeth smiled as she remembered the look in his eyes the last time he saw her. She could tell he was proud of her. She had no idea why.

As she took another drink, she looked around the coffee shop. It was mostly people on their laptops like her, fretting about reports, run downs, budgets. Then she spotted her. She was sitting in the corner, her nose buried in a book.

Lisbeth watched her. She was completely lost in her story, oblivious to what was going on around her.

Grace raised her cup to her lips, without breaking her eyes from her book. Her hair was piled up on her head in a messy bun. She wore no makeup, but if anything it made her more beautiful. She had some yoga pants on with an oversized hoodie on that she seemed to swim in.

Lisbeth smiled and stood, walking over to her in long strides. She sat across from her and she finally looked up, a surprised smile spreading across her face with raised eyebrows Grace placed the receipt from the coffee shop in her book to mark her place and set her book down. She was completely focused on Lisbeth.

"Well, quelle surprise," Grace said in an amused voice, leaning back and grabbing her coffee cup raising it to her lips and sipping.

She set it back down and looked around the shop and spotted the only empty but occupied table that Lisbeth had just vacated. Grace pointed her finger and asked, "Is that your things? Your computer? Aren't you worried someone might take it?"

Lisbeth shrugged, looking at the table. She was close enough to it that she could get to it should someone approach it. But...she turned to Grace and asked, "Can I join you?"

Grace's eyebrows shot up so high they were almost in her hairline. She finally said, "Be my guest."

Lisbeth stood and slinked toward her table and packed everything up in her messenger bag. She grabbed her coffee and biscotti and went back to Grace's table. Grace was studying her, as if trying to figure her out.

Lisbeth smiled at Grace and raised one eyebrow in question towards her.

"What?" she asked as she sat down, carefully placing her coffee on the table and her biscotti on a napkin.

Lisbeth shrugged and said, "Well, I guess I am surprised you are initiating this interaction. Usually it's me doing it," taking another long drink of her coffee.

"Does it bother you that I approached you?" Lisbeth asked, studying for any kind of indicator that that was the case.

Grace shook head and said, "No, I like it. I like you."

Lisbeth smiled and sipped her own coffee. "I like you too," she said after a while.

Grace and Lisbeth talked about the area that they were in, how Lisbeth was growing to like it a lot. Grace agreed and nodded, saying it was the people and the neighborhoods that drew her to it. Not to mention an apartment where there was a view of a park with lots of beautiful trees.

"Trees? You like trees?" Lisbeth asked her.

"No. Well, yes, but I like the birds in them more. I love birds. My father was an ornithologist. He loved birds and we travelled the world looking for the rarest birds. There is only a handful I haven't seen," she said wistfully, longingly. She got a faraway look on her face, looking out the window as if she might see them fly by this very coffee shop if she looked hard enough.

"Sounds amazing travelling all over the world," Lisbeth said, leaning on the table, resting on her elbows.

It snapped Lisbeth back to the present, her eyes taking in Lisbeth once more. "It was."

They were quiet for a long time, just thinking. "Is your father back in the states then?" Lisbeth asked.

Grace looked back to Lisbeth with a sad smile on her face. "No," she responded, turning her saddened face back to the window. It was a recent pain she had experienced. And Lisbeth had no way of relating to her.

"I'm sorry," Lisbeth replied after a while. Grace shrugged and waved her hand between them, as if sweeping the conversation away, trying to forget.

"What are you doing, today?" Lisbeth asked her in an attempt to take her mind off of it.

"I was trying to get lost in my book when some creep interrupted me," she teased.

Lisbeth smiled and replied, "What an annoying bitch."


	7. Chapter 7

The Girl Who was Different in Every Way

Chapter 7

The had an amazing day. Lisbeth and Grace spent all morning in the coffee shop, sometimes talking, sometimes not. In the silent moments they just enjoyed the other's presence. It was relaxing and peaceful.

Then they walked around Stockholm all afternoon, Lisbeth showing Grace all of the hidden spots that the city had. They had walked all day. Lisbeth couldn't remember a time when she had just walked to take a walk. Grace said the city was really beautiful if one took the time to notice it. She was right.

Lisbeth and Grace talked and walked, enjoying the others presence. As it was happening, Lisbeth thought many things, but the main thing she thought was that she seemed to have a friend. And she realized that was what she needed.

Lisbeth had never needed anything from anyone. But as she walked side by side with Grace, she realized how nice it was to feel that she had someone.

At one point Lisbeth had reached over and taken her hand, which Grace had allowed. It was as if they held hands all the time.

When Grace got hungry, they stopped to eat from a vendor in Kungsträdgården park. As they ate, Grace turned the tables and began asking Lisbeth about her past. Lisbeth immediately froze up and became engrossed in her sandwich.

_Please don't make me talk about this_, Lisbeth internally pleaded with her. She had just found a friend in Grace. She wasn't ready to lose her already. Lisbeth didn't think she could handle the scared look that was sure to cross Grace's features once she knew her past.

"It's okay. You don't have to talk about it," Grace said, popping the last bite of sandwich in her mouth. She brushed the crumbs off her lap and sat there sipping water and looking around at the people around them. _Just like that?_ Lisbeth thought.

Grace then nudged her in the side and motioned towards a guy doing street theater. They watched him for ten minutes then began walking back toward the area where Grace lived.

Lisbeth once again reached for her hand and held it as they walked home. When they approached her apartment building, Lisbeth didn't want to leave her. The sun was now setting and she didn't want to go back to her stale, dingy, and empty apartment.

Grace released her hand and turned to her and said, "It was a good day."

Lisbeth only nodded, burying her hands in her jacket pocket and flicking the lip ring with her tongue.

Grace turned to head into her building and Lisbeth stood rooted to the spot, watching her walk away. With each step the urge to call out to her was almost painful. Just as she was about to make a sound, Grace turned and said, "You gonna come in or what?"


	8. Chapter 8

**Thank you to all my reviewers! Right now I am exploring where I want to take this story or if I even want to continue it. I am on the fence. So if you have any ideas or if you want me to continue, drop me a review or private message.**

The Girl Who Was Different in Every Way

Chapter 8

Lisbeth stretched on Grace's couch, yawning and slowly opening her eyes as she woke up. She had crashed last night at Grace's apartment. 

They had chilled out and flipped through television. Grace spent a good portion of time making fun of Swedish television. But she did pause on a special regarding Alexander Skarsgård, who in Grace's opinion apparently deserved Sweden's hottest man accolade.

She had adorably said, "Hot indeed, he needs to come with a warning label."

Lisbeth had smiled and regarded him. Yes, he was good looking. But he was overrated and the type that knew he was attractive and flaunted it, making him then unattractive to her. Very vain.

When Grace started yawning, Lisbeth asked if she should go.

She shrugged her shoulders and said, "If you want to, go ahead. Or you can crash here. I work early tomorrow."

"Where do you work?" Lisbeth asked, intrigued.

"Art Editor & Graphic Design with Inga-Britt Liljeroth. It's an art gallery as well over on Österlånggatan," she replied.

"Are you an artist?" Lisbeth asked, looking around for evidence of her work.

"No, well, not really. I am in training somewhat. Right now I am a dealer," she answered with another yawn.

Lisbeth nodded and wondered what her medium was.

Grace then stood and stretched saying, "I am going to bed, are you staying or going?" she asked.

Lisbeth thought she should leave and go to her own apartment. But it was late. Really late she realized as she looked at the clock on Grace's wall that read 3:00AM. She said, "You don't mind if I crash?"

Grace shook her head and said, "You can either sleep out here or share my bed because that couch isn't the most comfortable for sleeping."

Lisbeth said, "Out here will be fine." Grace nodded and went to the closet by the door, standing on tiptoes as she reached for something. A spare pillow and blanket. She handed them to Lisbeth who arranged them.

Grace then said, "Make yourself at home. Bathroom is just down the hall near my bedroom. I have water, tea, soda, coffee, and I think some milk in the fridge. Also any of the food if you get hungry, please help yourself. I am gonna lock up," Grace said as she switched off the light, leaving a couple on so Lisbeth could see if she woke up wondering where she was and needed to find her way around the foreign apartment.

She was the perfect hostess, Lisbeth thought to herself.

Grace said, "Night," leaning down and kissing Lisbeth's cheek, then went to her room, leaving the door open in case Lisbeth changed her mind about the couch.

Lisbeth actually fell asleep really fast and when she woke up, she was surprised that it was morning. Like 10 AM. She said, "Shit," to herself, as she reached for her phone. Three missed calls from Dragan.

She dialed him back as she got up and snuck towards Grace's room to see if she was there. She wasn't. The bed was made, the window wide open. Lisbeth left Dragan a message telling him she was sorry she had missed his calls and to call her on her cell. She hung up and then decided to get going for the day.

Lisbeth went to the bathroom and did her business, then splashed some water on her face. She grabbed Grace's tube of toothpaste, planning on using her finger, but Grace had set out a toothbrush, still in its package wrapping, brand new.

Lisbeth smiled and looked in the drawers of her bathroom. In one of the drawers Lisbeth saw Grace had about a dozen brand new toothbrushes. A lot of night guests?

But Grace didn't seem like the type to sleep around.

Lisbeth shut the drawer, deciding she didn't really care.

She brushed her teeth and walked out of the bathroom, slipping the spare toothbrush in her backpack. Lisbeth slipped on her shoes and her phone rang. Dragan.

She answered and he said, "Can you meet me in a half hour here at the office?"

Lisbeth nodded, even though he couldn't see it, and replied, "On my way."

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